get the ending right // [josh]

Maybe calling Skye hadn't been the best idea when he told her he had some significant news that he wanted to share. Joshua lay on the couch with his hands folded on his chest and his phone resting underneath them, wondering if she'd think it was something horrible like a death in the family. Well it's not like I would have sounded upset, he reasoned, soothing his paranoia. This was far from a bad thing. Some people considered marriage (and engagement) to be like a ball and chain, imprisoning you. He didn't understand why these types decided to get married but he left them to their business. To him, nothing between he and Nell had changed except for the fact he could more confidently envision his future. He didn't have to factor in rejected proposals or another man. Well, she could always cheat on him, sure, but Joshua trusted her enough that he didn't take her to be the type. Even he wasn't the type. Brittney had approached during a moment of weakness and he'd managed to keep a hold of himself despite that she was hot and so obviously trying to get into his pants. I hope Skye takes it well, he thought, realising that his friend was a Thunder and her type usually didn't get along with the gentle-hearted Earths. It made sense to him just like it made sense that Fires and Waters were constantly at each other's throats, though there was much less of that now that he'd switched sides.

He got up slowly from the couch, not realising that Skye had already left to the park and that he was keeping her waiting. He figured he had a good half an hour or so to kill and so he did as any respectable Canadian would and stopped at a Tim Hortons. The coffee warmed him from the inside out and he was already finished the extra large by the time he pulled the snow-white Lamborghini into the parking lot, taking it with him and tossing it into the garbage can. There was a sign that screamed, 'DON'T LITTER' at passers-by and Josh really didn't understand why some people felt the need to. As the park was kept relatively clean, there were a lot of cans stationed at strategic points. There was even a couple on the more common trails in the forest so that people didn't dump their trash in the underbrush where some unsuspecting animal could choke. Despite that Maple Hollow was a city, he'd grown up on the outskirts in one of the grand mansions surrounded by land. It meant that he was used to the forests and the finer points of nature. He liked hiking in the mountains and discovering new paths through the forest. Today he wasn't here for sightseeing, however, and so Joshua sought out his friend when he finally did reach the park. He had arrived with a good ten minutes to spare himself, surprised to find Skye waiting for him.

"I didn't expect to see you," he said, lifting his brows. He had expected her, just not this early. "Have I kept you waiting?" He didn't like to make people wait if he arranged to meet with them. Joshua was many things; rude was not one of them. Raking an absent hand through his black hair, he considered the benches and then shrugged, sitting down beside her. He liked the shady place underneath the tree, though he didn't remove the sunglasses that he wore. Josh loved sunglasses and most of his friends were used to seeing him in a variety of different pairs. Given that they'd been friends for years, he expected Skye was no exception. "Glad you could come, really. I know myself how much of a hell college can be." It was his little way of thanking her for showing up without saying the words directly. He didn't want to jump right into the news of the afternoon and so he said, "Did I interrupt anything important? I hope not. How are you?"

He did not realise that Skye had taken respite from the heat under the tree and so the choice to sit down underneath it was purely for the sake of convenience. His friend seemed quite content sitting where she was and he certainly wasn't so fussy that he was worried about sitting on the ground, so he compromised his own desire to sit on a bench for something with a more nature-oriented feel. Sitting down in the grass reminded him of warm summer dyas spent sitting in his backyard and staring down at the lake, the waters clear as glass and sparking in the blazing sunlight. He hated the water but it was sure nice to look at. Normally he was alone, so spending this particular day at a park with a friend was a welcome change. Summer was not his favourite month but he enjoyed it nonetheless. It would be crazy for any Fire elemental to truly hate it, seeing as their powers and stamina were strongest during its peak. "You know what I meant," he said, lifting an eyebrow but smirking to show he recognised the joke. He liked joking with Skye because they were both so serious that they confused most, but not each other. There were still times when he was not sure whether something she said was literal or in jest and he was sure this was mutual but they at least had better odds than other people.

He noticed when she closed her eyes but made no comment on it, figuring that she was just comfortable or something. He did not consider people to be rude unless they did things that truly offended him. If she had fallen asleep then he might have had something to say about it. "Mm," was his wordless reply when she agreed with him on college. Everyone was cramming for the final exams before the summer and Josh was not much of an exception. He did not feel the same last-minute panic that others did because he did not leave studying until the last minute but he did feel the stress. He was confident in his intelligence and abilities but exams were still worrisome until the very day when the results came in. He would not be at peace until he knew his scores. "That's good to hear." He liked to know when his friends were doing alright and only hoped that she was telling the truth. He assumed that she was, for she seemed quite happy, but it was always impossible to tell with people. Especially Joshua himself. He always said he was fine when he wasn't and he said that he was fine when he was, as well. There was no distinction. Nell can see through it sometimes, he mused to himself. Nell. She was the reason for this entire meeting and his lips twitched briefly at the thought of her.

Figuring that there was no point in beating around the bush for ages before he pointed it out, Joshua decided that he would cut to the chase pretty quickly. "I'm great," he said. "Better than great, actually. I'm engaged." He grinned at his friend, gray eyes glittering with a combination of mischief and delight. He paused for a moment to both let the news sink in and assure his friend that he was not kidding around. He never understood people who pulled jokes on their friends concerning big things like pregnancy and marriage. Yes, it was funny, but it could also be cruel if you got them excited (or worse, frightened) for no reason. He leaned back on his hands and allowed an easy smile to grace his lips. It was a lot easier for him to smile lately. It was not only Nell who contributed to his contentment but she was certainly the biggest part of the picture, of that he was sure. She gave him what no one else could. Someone he could trust completely and unconditionally, on a level that his friends could hope to achieve but hadn't quite yet. "You're one of my closest friends, so I figured it was better you hear it from me—and in person—than from anyone else. Especially since I doubt Nell would be the one to tell you." He was completely unaware of the fact that his fiancée and Skye were ever acquainted at all, so in his words he was referring to the fact that they were not "allowed" to interact, similar to how this very meeting was forbidden by the rules.

Joshua found that he quite enjoyed anticipating the reactions of his various friends, amused by the way that some of them hit him and others dropped their jaws in shock. Ace had all but choked on his drink and Devin had looked like he was going to cry when Joshua asked him if he would be the best man when the wedding eventually happened. Skye's contribution was apparently going to be a hug, something that Joshua had not quite been expecting. He recovered from his shock after a second or two and chuckled, returning the hug without much hesitation. He wasn't the type to often cuddle up with his friends—Nell was a different story, but they were going to be married so that made sense. All the same, he was not one to object when a friend hugged him and would sometimes initiate the contact if he felt the need. "Yeah," he agreed, and there was warmth in his own voice as well. He was grinning, not smiling but grinning as his friend released him and he looked at her. "It is pretty great, isn't it? I can still barely believe it myself sometimes." He'd known Skye for years. She'd been around for the times when he'd sleep with various girls and commit to none of them, a drifter in the sense of relationships. Now he was happily committed and engaged to be married. It didn't surprise him that some of his friends were shocked and even glad to see that chapter of his life closed. He was certainly happy to see its end.

He chuckled softly as she asked two questions at once, pausing for a moment to decide which he would answer first. 'When' seemed to be the easiest. "When we got engaged? A few months ago. As for the wedding..." He trailed off and smirked at the thought. "We haven't set a date quite yet," he told her. "We're not in any rush. It wasn't for... specific reasons." He paused for a moment and raised his brows in order to let that sink in. It was his way of assuring his close friend 'no, Nell isn't pregnant, don't worry' without actually saying the words. He had gotten that question from a few people and his father had asked him when he went to Donovan for advice. The moment Josh had mentioned the words 'Nell' and 'proposal' in the same sentence, Donovan had wanted to know if there was a baby involved. Everyone has so much faith in me, he thought sarcastically. He was more responsible than that. Nell had college, he had college, they weren't ready for kids. He didn't even know if his fiancée wanted kids. I really should ask. It was inconvenient to want to spend the rest of your life with someone whilst not knowing whether their desires for the future would click with yours. "Once we know, you will," he promised, as he would with all his closest friends. "You'll be invited, of course... if Nell agrees." He hesitated, taking their elements into account, then smiled. "I'm sure she won't mind. She's great, really nice and all."

He closed his mouth there so that he didn't embarrass himself with flattering Nell through praise. He loved her but he didn't want to come off as a complete softie. The man had limits. "As for how... well, it depends on what you mean by that?" He was not sure whether Skye was asking him about how they'd gotten engaged and how he'd proposed to Nell or how they were getting married, so he allowed her to clarify that before he answered. "So that's why I dragged you out here," he concluded with another smile. He was smiling a lot today. Mention of Nell and his future with her was almost always guaranteed to put him in a good mood and the company of a good friend was helping to better it even further. He leaned back in the grass lazily, staring up at the sky. Man, he loved the summer months. They were so warm and comforting to a Fire elemental like him. "How have things been with your family and all that?" He did not like keeping the entire conversation focused on himself, both because it felt odd and because he felt selfish. The engagement was huge news, great news, but it did not make him the centre of the universe. Joshua realised that.

[Realised that both of us have Marianas Trench signatures. -high fives-]

It was always good to know that his friends had faith in him and that not everyone was going to jump to conclusions and assume they were getting married because he'd knocked Nell up. He'd never gotten anyone pregnant to his knowledge because he was careful and not at all as stupid as some people seemed to think. His intelligence was not solely academic, he had logic and reasoning as well as common sense. He knew that he didn't want to be that guy, so he wasn't. Surprise flickered across his features when Skye mentioned having met Nell and he smiled for a moment before it faltered. His friend had not mentioned anything about them hitting it off and so he worried for a moment that they might have gotten into an argument but as Skye didn't say anything about that, either, he hesitated to jump to conclusions. "You did? Did it go alright?" If it hadn't, he'd try and talk to Nell to smooth things over so that his friend could still come to the eventual wedding. She was an understand girl and he was sure they could work something out. Even if the two were to remain at odds with one another, Josh would still keep his relationship with Nell and his friendship with Skye. The two things were not linked—he hated Nell's friend Ethan (or at least strongly disliked him) and that didn't get in the way of his relationship with Nell. He was determined that it would work the same in reverse.

Chuckling at her comment, Joshua dipped his head in acknowledgement and went silent for a moment as he tried to piece together what he would say and how best to put it into words. "Well it's not like I can claim I was very original," he said amusement threading through his tone. "I took her out to dinner and I proposed to her." He left out the fact that it was at the end of a game of twenty questions, not wanting to explain how that game was like their 'thing' as a couple. It was how he'd originally asked her out and so he'd decided that it would be the way he asked her to marry him, as well. He wondered if Nell had caught onto that yet and whether she appreciated the thought he'd put into it. He hoped so. He wasn't the type to go all-out with an engagement at a stadium or anything like that, not having wanted to put her on the spot in front of other people, but he had at least given it some consideration. "She thought I was kidding at first but at least she said yes when she caught on." He grinned and the glee was plainly evident in the whole of his expression. He would have been rather crushed if Nell had turned him down because it would have meant that their relationship wasn't quite as solid as he thought that it was. "I would have told you sooner but we were dealing with things. Most of my friends have only found out recently." He didn't want Skye to think she was the last to know or anything.

He was used to a lot of his friends going home over the summer break and so he nodded when Skye mentioned Ottawa. "I'll be around the Hollow, most likely." He was still staying with Nell and unless she planned a spontaneous move to Vancouver he was there to stay. Then again, he wasn't sure he'd pack his bags and move out of the city on such short notice. He loved Nell but he had family in the Hollow as well. Not like it's going to happen, anyway. "Got any plans with the family?" He knew that him and Nell were going to Spain at the end of summer break and he was quite excited for the experience. He had gotten the tickets for Christmas, mainly for Nell so that she could go. She'd mentioned a desire to head there once and he'd figured it would make the perfect gift. She'd certainly been appreciative. "My family are great," he smiled. "Nell, too, though she's practically family anyway." He considered her a part of his family even if it hadn't been made official with wedding bands and vows quite yet. He looked forward to that day, even if it was far in the future. "My sister starts at the Academy next year. I'm sure she'll not shut up about it all summer." She wouldn't be starting until January but Annabel was already excited.

Joshua breathed a sigh of relief when Skye assured him that it had gone alright, lips twitching into a genuine smile. "That's good, I'm glad to hear it." He certainly wouldn't have liked sacrificing a connection with either one of them for the sake of the other but that didn't mean it wasn't easier when they got along at least on a moderate level. They were acquainted, which saved awkward pre-wedding introductions in the eventual future, and they did not loathe one another, which saved him from trying to mediate any disagreements. It made him uncomfortable to realise that if any of his friends started a real disagreement with Nell, he'd likely take the girl's side if he was forced to choose one. It was not that he did not love his friends but his love for Nell was something different, deeper. He wouldn't ignore his friends for her sake but he protected her above all else, regardless of whether she actually needed protecting. It wasn't that he saw Nell as a damsel in distress—he didn't think so low of her—but that it pained him to see her hurt in any way. It was almost embarrassing to admit that he was so soft around Nell, which was probably why he didn't profess it often. "She really is," said Joshua, nodding when Skye remarked on how nice Nell was. It was common in Earth elementals. Not that the other elementals couldn't be nice, Earths were just known for it. "I'm lucky to have her." He did consider himself so.

Joshua ducked his head a little sheepishly when she remarked on it being 'sweet', not used to such words being applied to him or the things that he did for people. It was not an unwelcome compliment, however, and he smiled his thanks at her. He liked to know when he was doing things right. Josh was confident and didn't mind giving himself his only direction when it came to guidance but it was always beneficial to have others voice their approval to back up your certainty that what you were doing for someone was the right thing. He was glad that he'd proposed to Nell, glad that he was able to finalise that connection in such a way. It had gone from never to forever in a short period of time—once the trial was over and he no longer had to fear his then-girlfriend going to prison for murder, there had been nothing stopping them from making things a little more concrete. "Oh, no, nothing bad!" he said quickly when he realised how that might have sounded. He was so used to being utterly secretive even with friends that he'd been unintentionally cryptic. "Normal things, completely normal." It was not entirely a lie. Most of the terrible things were in the past. "It gets hard to juggle school, work, and my relationship is all. So I've been a bit busy. But we're alright, don't worry." He smiled to back up this statement.

He listened as Skye mentioned a possible vacation to the States with her parents, nodding. He went on vacations with his parents sometimes and he rather enjoyed seeing other places, even if they didn't leave the country. The trip to the Maritimes had been lovely and his fiancee had come, too, which made it all the better. "That sounds like fun," he remarked. "Whereabouts, do you know?" It wasn't too personal and he might have asked it even if it was a little personal, knowing that a friend this close to him would be well aware they had the option of not answering. Joshua was very respectful of boundaries and would understand refusal to answer even the silliest, stupidest of questions. It was what came with being secretive. "Oh, yeah. Nell and I are heading to Spain for a week. She's taught me some Spanish, can't wait to try it out on the locals." He grinned and seemed excited by the prospect. He liked travelling and he liked it even more so when he had someone he loved as company. The plane tickets had been a gift to her from him on Christmas, after all. He had recalled her mentioning a desire to see Spain and acted promptly on the holiday. "Ah, don't we all," he said, remembering his own summer before the Academy and how much he'd wished it started along with the normal school year so he didn't have to wait so long.

It was common for people to question Joshua's work ethic—common enough that he was used to it, at least. His lips twitched and he shrugged. "I like staying busy. I get bored with nothing to do." It was a shame that he either seemed to be too busy for friends or not busy enough to keep him content. He juggled fairly well and was glad to have such understanding friends that knew he could not be around to hang out every other day. He was a good friend when given the chance. It was harder with Skye than with his friends in Earth and Water because they could not hang around one another at school. It made him feel bitter when they had a class together and he had to pretend like they were completely indifferent. He did not expect Skye to switch alliances, however, and he wouldn't switch back even if given the option, so it was necessary. "Cali, huh? Have you been before?" He chuckled when she mentioned the heat. "Right? I don't mind, but that's just me." Well, Joshua and most Fire elementals. Skye was not from his element and so though he could try to describe the feeling of power and energy that the summer heat gave him, she'd never truly know how it felt. Then again, the Thunders had the winter to shine in. He wondered what their sense of power felt like. Joshua hated the winter, hated the cold and the way that it weakened his power. Summer did that for Thunder elementals. The allies were opposites. "Do you like the heat?" he asked.

His friend's reaction amused him and Joshua's lips twitched into a smile. He was excited for the trip to Spain and her words made him feel a pulse of that excitement. "Anywhere and everywhere, I hope," he said. "I've never been so I want to see as much as I can." He enjoyed museums and historical sights, he wanted to see a bull fight with Nell, he wanted to explore the country and experience the culture. He really did want to practice his Spanish, too, and there was no better place to practice a language than its homeland. "We'll be staying just outside of Madrid but I definitely want to branch out." Madrid was a well-known city along with places like Barcelona but he didn't care whether a place was well known or not. If it had something interesting to be witnessed, he wanted to see it. He was mostly going to trust Nell as his guide considering she seemed to know the culture a lot more than he did. There were several places important to history that he planned to drag her off to, however. Not that it would be dragging seeing as she seemed more excited than he was. "Have you been to Spain?" Some families took trips and so he figured he would ask. He'd been quite a few places with his. He liked family vacations because they allowed him to spend time with his loved ones while at the same time experiencing a different place, somewhere new.

Joshua shook his head. "Nah, my parents don't see the point of enrolling her in high school for a few months and then transferring her to the Academy." Annabel was going to have an extended summer break—six months instead of the usual two. He wondered how she would cope with the shortened summer break of only a single month once she enrolled into the Academy but figured his little sister would adapt. She wasn't as fond of school as he was but she was excited about acquiring and learning her power. He hoped for her sake she was Fire. She wanted it so terribly. "If she doesn't get her powers they'll just start her in late. She says she's willing to take that risk." After all, a family with such strong genetics didn't have much chance of bearing a child with dormant powers. It was still possible, just not so likely that they were worried. "I can hardly wait for January myself," he confessed. "It'll be so weird when we're seniors!" He laughed, smiling at the thought. His true aspiration was to graduate and get the hell out of the Academy, get into medical school, start really learning. Not that he hated the Academy. He loved the school, part of the reason he'd chosen to go to college there instead of in a much more prestigious school. He was confident he could have gotten into one if he'd tried.

Most people slipped up in conversation sometimes, Joshua included, so he only twitched his lips at her correction and decided not to tease her about it. Sometimes Josh made jokes at the expense of his friends but only if he thought they'd take them as such and if he was in the particular mood to be a troll. The latter circumstance was not in place, Josh feeling amiable and not at all mischievous. He was in a content and placid mood. It owed mostly to the fact that he with a friend, having finished a discussion about his engagement to a woman that he loved, now talking about education and travelling out of the country. It could put anyone in a good mood. "Nor have I been. I'd like to go, though, if only for the heat and the experience." In all honesty he'd sooner go to one of the hottest countries in the world to get a blast of heat, really soak up that summer energy. He wondered if any Fire elementals lived out there and, if they did, how their powers benefited. Someone should do a study on that. Hm. He thought about looking into the research aspect of the medical field sometimes. Joshua loved to discover things, work out the mysteries and puzzles of the world. What better way to put this to work than to find cures through his passion? It was all in the works, though, nothing set in stone. "The heat's great for us," he agreed. "I could spend a day baking under it and not have to worry about sunburn or skin cancer. It's amazing." He loved the heat as much as he loved his fire but, well, that was a given.

Confinement did not do him good when he was in an unfamiliar place. Josh liked to explore, to overturn every rock and look around every corner. He did not do well with the unknown. It was alright on vacation but he did not like feeling lost or helpless in an unfamiliar establishment. It was the same way he'd never liked any place completely devoid of light unless he could use his powers. He'd never feared the darkness—enjoyed it, actually—but he liked the freedom to illuminate the area if he needed to look around. It was a safety blanket. "I will," he promised. From him it could be considered sincere. He planned to bring souvenirs back for all of his friends and take as many pictures as he could. He would not spend the entire time taking photographs of every street and he certainly wouldn't take multiple shots of the same thing, not wanting to be wasteful or pointless with photography. He'd definitely do his best to capture the cities, though, the culture. "Do you know any Spanish or did you need to reply on English speakers?" He'd once have been in that position if not for Nell. French had been his mandatory second language thanks to his place of birth and he'd never taken Spanish in high school when it had also been an option. Language fascinated him but he'd used his electives for other passions, like all the different science and history classes he could slot in there. "Oh, you did? Whereabouts? It sounds like it would be fun." He could look back fondly on his travels with his own parents and so he figured Skye's were probably good experiences too.

His gray eyes twinkled at her question. "Thirteen, in the living room with the fireplace," he said, wording it like an answer in a game of Clue. Chuckling, he paused for a moment while he arranged his thoughts to be a little more serious. "It was nothing dramatic, thank goodness." Fire was such a destructive element that there were a vast number of things that could go wrong with unconfined displays. He could destroy in minutes what it took someone like Nell ages to create. Fire was catching, consuming, deadly. He loved it, though, as most elementals loved their own. "You?" He found it quite fun to talk to Skye and to learn a little more about her. They were not the most open people but he trusted her enough to share a little bit and so he was giving her the option to trust him in return. He always tried to make his questions light and non-evasive but if, like now, someone asked him a personal question he was prone to automatically assumed he could turn it around on them without many repercussions. "It will be strange," he agreed. "Not it for me, though. I've got another four years in medical school and then more in residency, depending on what I go for." He wasn't sure what he would take residency for. He had a lot of time to decide and so he really felt there was no rush. "I'm going to try and stay in the Hollow, though. I've got Nell and I don't want to lose that." Disappearing for four years of her life wouldn't be good.